Apollo read my thoughts, a crease forming across his forehead. “You do surprise me, Empusa,” he mused. “You have a surprisingly pure soul. It truly is no wonder why my son is drawn to you. Not that it matters.”
He smiled again, matter-of-factly. “You have a decision to make here today.”
It seemed that the wind stilled and even more clouds billowed over our heads. My fingers went numb and my heart slowed as I listened to the melodic sound of his voice. A decision. I knew I wouldn’t like it.
“No, you won’t,” Apollo confirmed. “This is your decision. It is yours to make. You can choose how your sister dies. I can kill her. Or you can.”
I gasped as what little strength I had left abandoned me and my knees went weak.
“For what purpose?” I demanded breathlessly, shock rendering me almost speechless. “Why would you kill her?”
“I don’t need any other purpose other than wanting to force your hand,” Apollo said calmly. He was so detached, so emotionless. I never wanted to become like that. He smiled a little at my thought and leaned toward me.
“No, you wouldn’t want to be like me,” he agreed. “You are too soft inside. Now what is your choice? Shall I kill her or will you?”
My stomach clenched tightly and I looked at Branwyn. Her green eyes were calm now and she held still, no longer fighting her restraints. Apollo was blocking her thoughts from me, but I could see them in her eyes.
She believed that this was her fate, that she was meant to die for me. I could see it in the tranquility that I found on her face. I gulped. Was she right? Had my mother truly allowed Branwyn’s birth simply so she could serve me in death? It was an unthinkable thought, yet I had it. It was there, hanging in the front of my mind, and I was unable to ignore it.
Because it was true.
The knowledge welled up in me. Whether it was fair or not, it was a truth. Branwyn’s entire life had been arranged to serve me in this moment. I didn’t know why, but sometimes that’s how life worked. The why was forgotten or never understood at all.
Branwyn stood still and strong, her eyes calm and accepting. She was willing. She knew that without a soul, I would die. And I knew in that instant, that she would have offered hers to me even if she was not bound against the tree. If I hadn’t been put into this situation, I probably wouldn’t have taken it… which was probably why this situation had come about. As Apollo had said, to force my hand. He thought he was calling the shots, making me do something I didn’t wish to do. But my mother had foreseen this long ago and had arranged for a plan to save my life.
The breadth of my mother’s vision was astounding.
Gratitude and sadness welled up in me at the same time as I walked numbly to Branywn. I could feel Apollo watching me, could feel his amber eyes boring into my back, but I didn’t care. This moment was all that was important. This moment when I would end my sister’s life to save my own. I had a purpose. I didn’t know what it was yet, but Branwyn must die for me to achieve it. This was her purpose.
Pulling the limbs away from Branwyn’s face, I murmured to her.
“This won’t hurt. I promise you that. I don’t want to give Apollo the satisfaction of killing you. Your soul will nourish mine and perhaps I’ll live to fulfill whatever purpose there is for me. My mother will provide for you in the Underworld. You will dwell in the Isles of the Blessed. It is the most beautiful place in the world. You’ll be happy there. I promise.”
Branwyn nodded, her eyes clear and tranquil. “Thank you, princess,” she whispered. “I look forward to it.”
Pain gripped my chest, wrapping my heart in cold fingers. “This won’t hurt,” I promised again. “Forgive me, Branwyn.”
She nodded wordlessly. Being so near to her in this state caused her aura to appear to me in an explosion of yellows, golds and reds. Her spirit was strong and true and my mouth watered with the need to take it. I was so weakened at this point that I couldn’t fight the urge for long. My chest shuddered with the restraint that I was already showing.
Branwyn’s purity surrounded us in the air, her strength wrapping around us like a ribbon, tying us tightly together. Loyalty, one of the strongest attributes in existence, flowed through her veins. It was in her blood, in her heart, in every thought that she had.
Bending ever closer, I whispered, “Thank you, Branwyn. Your sacrifice will not go unnoticed.” With one short breath, I started the process. Her lips touched mine and her spirit flowed into my mouth, down my throat and filled me up.
She tasted as beautiful as her spirit actually was. Warm, strong, loyal, proud. Her attributes joined with mine, making me stronger even as her mortal body grew weaker and limp. I continued breathing her in, closing my eyes, until it was finally over.
I opened my eyes and Branwyn was gone, her green eyes staring lifelessly at me. Stepping back, I closed her eyelids gently and then turned to Apollo.
“It is done,” I told him. “You can’t have her now.”
“Foolish girl,” he told me. “I never wanted her. This was a challenge. And much to my disappointment, you have passed it.”
Chapter Ten
“A challenge?” I repeated shakily. “A challenge?” My voice rose an octave. I couldn’t help it. “My sister was murdered for a challenge?”
Apollo stared at me in amusement. “If she was murdered, then you are the murderer, darling. Think on that for a moment.”
Red hot anger boiled up in me, so quickly that I lost control for a moment. The anger exploded through me and ripped the weeping willow tree that Branwyn was still attached to apart. The roots erupted from the ground and the limbs flew off, landing erratically around us. When the dust settled, it looked like lightning had struck the tree trunk. And Branwyn was now lying limply at my feet in a heap. I didn’t look at her. I focused instead on Apollo and on controlling my emotions.
“I realize that,” I said calmly, gripping my fists at my sides. “You placed me in that position.”